In my (albeit limited) experience bears are more shy than aggressive. That said, if you happen to come across an aggressive bear, this Expedition Portal article argues that bear spray is a better bear deterrent than bullets.
The article cites research indicating that in 133 bear attacks in which bear spray was used for self defense, three minor injuries result. In 269 attacks in which a gun was used for self defense, 17 people died. Yikes.
There are some great trip reports over on the Expedition Portal Forums. Here are a couple of highlight photos from a guy who posts under the name “Sabre.” He and his wife took an overland trip from their home in Washington state to the southwest. The photos and scenery are stunning. And they did the whole trip in a stock Gen 3 Montero.
Link: Backcountry Trip to Utah Sells the Wife on Overlanding Read the rest of this entry »
Do you remember when the G500 trickled into the U.S. in tiny numbers and sold for around $130,000? Those were the days before Mercedes-Benz began to officially import them in 2001. Well, one of those $130k G500s is for sale on Expo right now for $17,500. Read the rest of this entry »
On a recent trip it became clear to me just how limited GMRS radios are in the back country. As soon as we were out of visual range of our friend Greg’s truck, and around a bend or two, we couldn’t communicate. I haven’t bothered with CB because, from what I’ve experienced, it’s just as bad.
For serious off-road communication, HAM is the way to go. Even if you’re out of radio-to-radio range (known as simplex communication), odds are you’ll still be able to communicate through a local repeater. To find a repeater near you, check this map. Radios can be handheld or truck-mounted. And high-end units can even offer GPS functionality.
To get started you’ll need a HAM radio license, something I still need to do. If you’re like me though, and want to get started, check out this excellent beginners guide to HAM radio that Chazz Layne, from Overland Journal, posted on Expedition Portal.
